New camera captures 360º spherical shots with a single snap

Ricoh's Theta camera is expensive, but its globular shots are impressive.

A new camera from Ricoh allows users to take spherical shots with one snap, per a press release from the company Thursday. The Theta camera is able to capture 360-degree images of space and sync them wirelessly with an app that is currently available only on iOS.

The Theta camera, which weighs 95 grams.

The Theta is a self-contained device, with 4GB of storage (approximately 1,200 photos, according to Ricoh), and it automates exposure, ISO, shutter speed, and white balance. Photos are saved in JPEG format and the device uses a micro-USB port to charge its lithium-ion battery.

Images are captured using twin lenses on either side of the camera with a shutter button on one side. The Theta website does not specify the size of the two camera's sensors, but the storage-to-image-count ratio suggests that they capture slightly more than 10 megapixels between them. Ricoh would not disclose the resolution, stating that it is "not able to share that info at this time." Photos can be shared via an iOS app, which can forward the spherical captures on to Twitter, Tumblr, or Facebook.

The Theta, while nifty and compact, falls into that vein of expensive and single-purpose oriented devices like the Lytro. It’s priced at $399 and will be available for preorder at the Pentax Web store starting in September and on Amazon once it starts to ship in October.

38 Reader Comments

It's expensive for a toy, and doesn't have the options necessary to be a professional tool.

Totally agree with the comparison to Lytro.

Also, if you're interested in buying one of these, avoid the PentaxWebStore like the plague. Their customer service is terrible and they have a reputation for botching things on their site. It's run by a company called SureSource, not by Pentax/Ricoh employees. A google search will tell you all you need to know.

I love the idea, but it's a little pricey. I enjoy the challenge of trying to get a good Photosphere from my phone but yes, movement does spoil the fun sometimes. Waiting to see who is the first one to put this right onto a phone. It's wonderful for travelers who really want to get a sense of a place before visiting.

Hmm, I wonder if it wouldn't be better received as a Canon or Nikon compatible lens, rather than a standalone device

Since this is actually just a pair of 180 degree circular fisheye lenses, with each projecting onto their own sensors, it already effectively exists in Canon, Nikon, and Alpha mounts as any number of 180 degree circular fisheye lenses. Of course they cost a lot more - the Sigma versions for full frame (8mm) and APS-C (4.5mm) DSLRs each cost $900, not including the body. The cheaper option, the ~$250 Samyang series of 8mm fisheyes, only project a full 180 degree circular image onto a full frame camera, which is much more expensive than an APS-C camera.

Rather than this I would like to see a 180 camera sold with a little projector. Pick a room with lots of white walls and ceiling and you could show true panoramas. It would be more useful and more fun.

Having done a fair bit of house/apartment hunting over the last few years (jobs moving me around), I can attest that realtors are exactly the group who should not get their hands on this.

Thinking back on some of the execrable photos I've seen from realtors, proficiency in basic photography should be a requirement to getting your realtor's license. Now put a camera that highly distorts the image (of course) in their hands and the epic fails that ensue will be funny to everyone but the home owner.

Ah, it is. When I was developing it, there were no other options. Even today, you take a massive hit on functionality and performance with js based frameworks, never mind the browser incompatibility :|It will get there eventually and I'll remake the site

As long as you can display the photos spherically, it would be a huge improvement on some of the pictures I saw when house hunting a couple years ago.

I take pictures for Realtors and I would never use this device. One there is no flash and I must have a flash. Secondly it most likely has a small sensor which means I will be fighting noise in dark areas. Next after that is that I can stitch multiple pictures together to get a panoramic. That distorts much less than this does.

With all that said most bad pictures from Realtors is because they don't care and don't understand how much pictures helps sell a house. I have used a 6 year old point and shoot and got pictures that are better than at least 95% of the pictures Realtors in the area put up.

As long as you can display the photos spherically, it would be a huge improvement on some of the pictures I saw when house hunting a couple years ago.

I take pictures for Realtors and I would never use this device. One there is no flash and I must have a flash. Secondly it most likely has a small sensor which means I will be fighting noise in dark areas. Next after that is that I can stitch multiple pictures together to get a panoramic. That distorts much less than this does.

Erm, when doing 360 panoramas, you don't use a flash as there is no need (and can't hide the flash), just do proper HDR and whatever lighting is there. Providing Theta is not software crippled, you would do the same, just bracket more shots if the sensor has less dynamic range (and it probably has a crappy DR).

If it shot HDR images in raw format I could see this being extremely useful for film effects work. Working in the film industry I'm obviously not joe public but I (and I imagine every post production company for that matter) could use something like this on shoots. One shot and you have your post lighting for the set done (not quite but you get the idea). If I can save five minutes of shooting environment HRD's for each lighting setup on a shoot that could add up to over an hour on a multi day shoot which can be a lot of money. So it could pay for itself one one job.

Has anyone found proper sample images taken with Theta? Full res equiangular sample, not silly screen caps of a pano viewer?

Since no one has found proper full-resolution equirectangular samples and they themselves have yet to release even the resolution specifications of the camera, I suspect it's a $400 webcam. But if this thing could do 4000 x 2000 equirectangular JPEGs, I'd have an immediate use for it.

See the dramatic, sharp fisheye photograph they feature on the press release page (https://theta360.com/en/concept). But notice the tiny white print in the corner: 'This photograph was not taken with a RICOH THETA."

As long as you can display the photos spherically, it would be a huge improvement on some of the pictures I saw when house hunting a couple years ago.

I take pictures for Realtors and I would never use this device. One there is no flash and I must have a flash. Secondly it most likely has a small sensor which means I will be fighting noise in dark areas. Next after that is that I can stitch multiple pictures together to get a panoramic. That distorts much less than this does.

Erm, when doing 360 panoramas, you don't use a flash as there is no need (and can't hide the flash), just do proper HDR and whatever lighting is there. Providing Theta is not software crippled, you would do the same, just bracket more shots if the sensor has less dynamic range (and it probably has a crappy DR).

Now that you say it thats part is true. I some how had stuck in my head replacing a regular camera. With that said I am still wondering how it does in low light particularly with noise.

Has anyone found proper sample images taken with Theta? Full res equiangular sample, not silly screen caps of a pano viewer?

Since no one has found proper full-resolution equirectangular samples and they themselves have yet to release even the resolution specifications of the camera, I suspect it's a $400 webcam. But if this thing could do 4000 x 2000 equirectangular JPEGs, I'd have an immediate use for it.

Has anyone found proper sample images taken with Theta? Full res equiangular sample, not silly screen caps of a pano viewer?

Since no one has found proper full-resolution equirectangular samples and they themselves have yet to release even the resolution specifications of the camera, I suspect it's a $400 webcam. But if this thing could do 4000 x 2000 equirectangular JPEGs, I'd have an immediate use for it.

"single-purpose oriented devices like the Lytro"There are similarities in that they are devices, but the Lytro represents a fundamental transformation in how photos are taken, completely revolutionizing the sensor part.

Todays gizmo is merely 2 fisheye lenses stuck back to back with some computing to stitch the pictures together.

Comparing the two this way understates the breakthrough significance of the Lytro.

As for all the spherical navigation and zooming and stuff, I hope they made nice with Apple and its Quicktime Interactive stuff from the mid 1990s which already did exactly this.